A Closer Look at Apple TV 4.3 Update

A Closer Look at Apple TV 4.3 Update -

Apple kicked off the month of August with a new update for the company’s eternal living room “hobby,” the Apple TV, with a 4.3 update that finally allows the streaming of purchased television shows -- both those purchased from the tiny box as well as those bought in the past. Here’s a look at this and other new features.

Last week, the internet was on fire with word that Google TV hardware partner Logitech was dropping the largely ignored home theatre box to a mere $99 after failing to catch fire with consumers at $299. Somewhere we can only imagine Apple CEO Steve Jobs hearing about this news and smirking, having branded his company’s own Apple TV as a “hobby” project years ago and still finding the tiny second-generation box a hard sell at just under a hundred bucks.

While it’s likely going to take more than a simple software update to push the Apple TV into the hearts, minds and living rooms of many users, on Monday Apple released a 4.3 update to the diminutive home theatre hardware, adding the ability to both purchase (as well as rent) TV shows and stream previously purchased TV shows, including those that no longer reside in your iTunes library.

The streaming features appear to come by way of iCloud, whose presence has now been made available on the Apple TV with a small icon denoting previously purchased television shows capable of being streamed to the box, rather than requiring a Mac with iTunes running. The update also adds Vimeo as a new internet streaming source, rounding out a trio of welcome new features.

(Via Mac|Life all.)